News Desk |
The Supreme Court’s bench has adjourned NAB’s appeal hearing until 12th December on Islamabad High Court’s verdict ordering the suspension of the Avenfield case decision against Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Safdar, which went underway on Monday, the 12th of November.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar headed the bench. The CJP hinted at forming a larger bench to decide a ‘question of law’ regarding the Islamabad High Court’s verdict suspending the accountability court order against the Sharifs. The move was proposed in an effort to determine the definition of “deeper appreciation of evidence”.
The court, however, decided not to issue a notice to Sharif’s son-in-law Captain (retired) Safdar who was also sentenced to one-year imprisonment in the same case by an accountability court on July 6.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court granted leave to the National Accountability Bureau appeal against Islamabad High Court verdict suspending accountability court order against Sharif family members. On the occasion, the top judge commented that distrust in the judicial system should be put to an end.
The National Accountability Bureau had challenged the IHC’s verdict on 22nd October. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) told the Supreme Court that the high court had given its verdict on the merits of the case without hearing their appeal or analyzing the evidence on record.
Read more: Will Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Safdar be sent to jail again?
The NAB filed three different petitions under Article 185 of the constitution against IHC division bench’s September 19 judgment which suspended the conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law Captain Safdar.
On October 24th, the top court issued notices to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam over the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeals against the Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s September 19 verdict suspending their conviction in the Avenfield apartment’s case.
The court, however, decided not to issue a notice to Sharif’s son-in-law Captain (retired) Safdar who was also sentenced to one-year imprisonment in the same case by an accountability court on July 6. On November 10, members of the Sharif family submitted their reply to the top court and defended the IHC verdict.
Read more: Accountability court hears the NAB references against Nawaz Sharif
Earlier in September, the IHC suspended the sentence of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Safdar. The Sharif family members were imprisoned following the accountability court’s July 6 verdict in Avenfield reference case.